Monday, June 25, 2012

A lot of you are wondering if I am still alive, it's been so long since I'd posted anything!

But, I AM alive and have FINALLY obtained some more filament. As you know, I have another 3D printer. So, I've not been without options for printing my designs. But, the entire purpose of the designs that I've been working on has been to show Cube owners and potential Cube owners what they can expect from their Cube. And, equally importantly, what NOT to expect.

While my full order of filament has not arrived, by showing 3D Systems my test designs, I was able to get them to send me some more starter green filament. And, you should be just as happy as I am that they agreed to do so. Here is the result!

Vase - Fire

It's just under 5" tall. Both raft and support were turned off. It printed the "flames" completely free standing.

This design was meant to push the Cube's capabilities in several ways. The first is obvious. The flames are thin and hang out in space as they go up. Moreover, they taper to a relatively sharp point at the tips.

But, other features are equally stressful to a 3D printer. The "vase" has a maximum wall thickness of just .75mm and the bead work is designed to see how detailed the printer can replicate fine features. The winding columns are a good test of the vertical accuracy of the Cube.

I'm not claiming that other 3D printers could not print this design without supports. But, it is my opinion, that the Cube did an absolutely stunning job of producing every feature of this very challenging vase. I LOVE this little printer!

There is more to come. This is not the only design that I've been waiting to try. There is one printing as I write this. I will also create a video of the "Vase- Fire" rotating so that you can see the detail from all angles.

As usual, the STL file for this design is available on the Cubify.com store for the minimum cost permissible.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

As a blogger focused on a particular product and user community, I feel a responsibility to be tough; but, fair when it comes to testing and evaluation. I could print objects that I know will print beautifully all day long. But, that would be of little use to anyone. Not even the manufacturer.

We need to know, clearly and with confidence, what the Cube can and cannot do. And, the only way to truly find that out is to ask it to do the miraculous and next to impossible. And, in this post I'm going to introduce one of those "out there on the edge" tests that I asked the Cube to perform just to see if what I was asking for could be done.

In general, I try to avoid having to use support materials because it means cleaning up the piece after printing. So, I thought I would kill two birds with one stone in the form of a very complex object that had some features that just maybe the Cube might be able to handle without supports.

The best way to explain the test and the outcome is to show you this short video. As you can see, I ended up having to use support. But, in doing so I learned that the Cube support is remarkably easy to remove because of a special design feature. Take a look...

I was amazed how far I got in printing this piece before it became obvious that the Cube was not going to be able to bridge a gap that was simply too wide. But, did you notice that it didn't need support until it came to a perfectly flat feature that no extrusion 3D printer is likely to be successful at bridging. It had no trouble at all with features that curved or sloped. That's pretty good.

In the final piece that was printed with support, there was some evidence of minimal warping. Somone has mentioned that this can be caused by a draft and I was in and out of the studio checking on the progress. But, it could also be sue to the design itself that juxtaposed thin and thick features in close proximity that may lead to different rates of cooling. But, these minor instances of warping are small potatoes next to the accomplishment of printing such a large and complex pattern non-stop for 30 hours. The Cube continues to impress me.

Oh... one thing I learned that wasn't on the lesson plan. If you print enough large objects, you will eventually run out of filament. Keep a spare handy if you suffer from withdrawal easily. :)

UPDATE

I've created a new video that demonstrates the plan for making another attempt at printing this complex vase without supports and a bit larger, which should preserve some of the smaller holes better. Here is a video of that plan.

Very often, a simple change of orientation can bring about our goal when the first orientation fell short. I'm looking forward to being able to give this orientation a try!

Monday, June 11, 2012

The Nut and Bolt Creation uses the least amount of filament. Yet, it is among the coolest and most useful Creation in terms of demonstrating the precision and the usefulness of the Cube 3D printer.

Cubify Hex Nut and Bolt Creation

The two parts fit beautifully together. Here is a short video that goes through the printing process and also demonstrates that the nut and bolt actually work! You can expand the video to full screen for a better look.

Very Cool! In fact, I can think of no better sample to select as your first Cube print.

Let me know what you think about this step-by-step technique. In all the stop motion videos I've seen involving 3D printing, the print head darts about so rapidly that it seems to me that it distracts from the real focus, which is the process of printing the object. This technique, I believe allows us to stop and reflect on the important lessons to be learned. I welcome your comments.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

The high volume group of free Creations for the Cube is relatively small. Yet, from the point of view of learning, at least one or two are invaluable.

ShoeMacedonia_Large.Creation

ShoeMacedonia_Large

I know that this shoe comes in at a volume of 74,941.24 cubic millimeters. But, no matter how many of the other creations you print, make sure you include this one. From bottom to top and every layer in between there is something to learn and appreciate about this wonderfully designed shoe.

Most of the time, I tell people to simply walk away and do other things while a an item is being printed. But, this time I'm going to suggest that you return every so often to see just how the designers managed to design this show with so many interesting features without having to use any external support. It's masterful.

Besides, everyone thinks it is VERY cool when you show it around the office or to friends! They certainly don't have one like it! LOL!

IPhoneDock_Medium.Creation

IPhoneDock_Medium

I'll have to print this one out to see if it actually has some value worth using 77,593.27 cubic millimeters of ABS... not to mention the time if ties up the Cube.If it was created in an app where I could apply my initials or name, I'd be more excited about it. It MIGHT have the capability to be used as a charger. (Note the little gap in the back) and if that is the case, then it just might win my admiration. We'll see. I'll print it before passing judgement.

Planter_Large.Creation

Planter_Large

Here the big deal is to check out the orientation and see how important it is to be able to fit a large object in the print envelope. Yes, I know that is uses 134,979.30 cubic millimeters of filament.But, it's just too cool to pass up. Look Ma! No Support! Cool!

ToyTrain_Medium.Creation

ToyTrain_Medium

If it didn't have the happy face and the old time smokestack I'd blow this one off as WAY too expensive in terms of material to be bothered with. But, it DOES have those things and being a Thomas The Train junkie, I'm a bit of a sucker for adorable little trains. Even so, the only reason I'm going to print it out is to see if there is something I'm missing here. I'll use up 18,2748.40 cubic millimeters so that you can see how it turns out before you spend that much filament.I'm a little skeptical.

ShoeClassic_Large.Creation

ShoeClassic_Large

Now, at a whopping 185,500.50 cubic millimeters this shoe tops our list. But, even so, it is something I will definitely print because I want... no, take that back... NEED to see if there are any design tricks I can glean from this shoe that might be different from the Macedonian version.

But, there is an even more motivating factor for wanting to print this particular design. And, that is that this shoe looks like a great candidate for sanding and painting. I want to BLING this thing!

As a teen in the late 1950's and early 1960's I drooled over Candy Apple Red hot rods and metal flake Corvettes. Of course, I couldn't afford either. This show, with it's smooth contours seems to me to be the perfect candidate for a little experiment. Taking a cue from the Cubify Odyssey Tour Cube, I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do to customize a shoe, if not a Corvette. I'm going to Pimp My Shoe! LOL!

Friday, June 8, 2012

The mid volume group includes Creations ranging between 10,000 and 60,000 cubic millimeters. Most are under 30,000 cubic millimeters. Many of the coolest Creations fall into this category and are well worth printing. Among these are some of the favorites at various shows and stops along the Cubify Odyssey Tour.

Doorknob_Small.Creation

Doorknob_Small

The door knob was a surprise, 10,334.72 cubic millimeters. I suspect the reason is that it is COMPLETELY solid. Many things that look solid are not. There is generally a "fill" pattern that puts just enough filament in a slice to support the filament of the next layer. A fill can be as little as 20% of the volume of a truly solid layer. Then two or three solid layers are laid down to complete the piece. I would not be surprised if the fill of the knob is 100% to strengthen the screw hole to mount the knob.

NapkinHolderMacedonia_Med.Creation

NapkinHolderMacedonia_Med

Many of the Freedom of Creation designs use this dual layer asymmetric hole pattern. It's ingenious. This not only keeps this relatively large object at a modest filament requirement of 10,427.24 cubic millimeters; but, it's very strong. I would love to know how much experimentation went into coming up with that pattern. It is WELL worth studying if you plan to design items like this.

Rook_Medium.Creation

Rook_Medium

The Rook, at 16,285.88 cubic millimeters, is probably the most famous 3D printed item of all time. Everyone goes gaga over the rook. Not a single person has ever turned one down when I've offered one to them. And, they are amazed at the steps and the spiral in the center, which can be viewed from from several vantage points.

I was no different from anyone else when I first saw it. Yes, the stairs and the spiral were impressive. But, even MORE impressive to me was the smoothness of the wall and the preciseness of the brick pattern! This is a MUST PRINT item. :)

NanoMacedoniaBracelet_Medium.Creation

NanoMacedoniaBracelet_Medium

Fully functional, the Nano bracelet total filament volume is just 17,993.35 cubic millimeters. It's the first piece that I gave to my oldest granddaughter. It works! This seems to be another one of those pieces that draws a crowd at shows. For me, aside of the ingenious pattern of irregular holes is the hole if the top that helps in the removal of the Nano. So, don't worry, your Nano won't get stuck in there! :)

BraceletLinks_15 facet_Small.Creation

BraceletLinks_15 facet

Look VERY carefully at this little beauty. I'll be glad to part with 18,747.96 cubic millimeters of filament to see how this prints out. But, not in Neon Green! I'm waiting for my other colors for this little gem.

BraceletMacedonia_D57_Medium.Creation

BraceletMacedonia_D57_Medium

Don't confuse this with the napkin holder! It's quite a bit wider and comes in three different diameters.

BraceletMacedonia_D57_Medium.Creation - 18,779.13

BraceletMacedonia_ D63_Medium.Creation - 20,541.96

BraceletMacedonia_D70_Medium.Creation - 22,410.74

PrincessPencilStar_Small.Creation

PrincessPencilStar_Small

The volume of this one, 29,034.22 cubic millemeters , surprised me. But, that's probably because it, like the door knob, may be completely solid. I wonder if it doubles as a magic wand. I have some relatives that would make good frogs! Hmmmm.....

NanoClassicBracelet_Medium.Creation

NanoClassicBracelet_Medium

This bigger version of the Nano bracelet comes in at 29,548.5 cubic millimeters. It looks solid enough to use as a weapon! That thing looks HUGE! I'll let you try it. Let me know how it prints.

ToySlingshot_Medium.Creation

ToySlingshot_Medium

Now, we are getting somewhere. There is nothing that warms the heart of an aging country boy more than a good slingshot. And, this one looks a WHOLE LOT better than the ones I made as a...uh.. er... troubled youth. I'm MORE than happy to cough up 40,615.85 cubic millimeters of filament for this one!

And, did you see that fancy pull handle? That's just downright luxurious! Now, remember boys and girls. Please play with this one safely. Be sure you have a clear exit path before you shoot your older sibling! 'Cause, you're only gonna get ONE shot before you look like Beatle Baily after the Sarge caught him! Run fast. Run VERY fast.

It's a good thing my mother isn't alive to me with this one. She's tougher than my oldest sister! (Who is WAY tougher than my brother!) Yep. She'd be stomping on that thing. She'd give that ABS plastic a good endurance test! WHOAAA!!!

Teacup_Medium.Creation

Teacup_Medium

Maybe I'd better stick to printing tea cups. Less risky.

I definitely plan to print both sizes of tea cups. It's a must do for a grandfather. A set of four won't take too much filament because each one is 40,863.35 cubic millimeters. Of course, each cup will have to be printed in a different color. But, fortunately, there is very little waste with the Cube when changing from one color to the next.

WaxCupCandleHolder_Medium.Creation

WaxCupCandleHolder_Medium

Frankly, I'm not at all sure about these next two. When I was six, my home was surrounded by a brush fire. I remember running down our long dirt driveway with fire on both sides of the drive. So, I'm probably a bit more sensative about fire than I should be. But, please be careful if you print out these last two items and watch them carefully as you use them. At 46,283.52 cubic millimeters, it's not terribly hard on the filament budget. But, it's not one I'm likely to print out beyond one or two tests.

WaxCandleStickHolder_Medium.Creation

WaxCandleStickHolder_Medium

Here again, my personal experience, leads me to not trust mixing candles with ABS unless one is very, very careful not let the flame lick at the holder. Both are perfectly safe if used correctly. But, experience tells me that people don't always use things correctly. Please don't be one of them.

At 57,566.11 cubic millimeters this is the last of our under 60,000 cubic millimeter group. I hate to end this post on such a downer. But, I would hate to dleefully encourage you to print these out and leave all over the house with a burning candle unattended. I like people smart enough to be Cube owners and I sure don't want any of them hurt. BE SAFE!!! :)

Thursday, June 7, 2012

The Creations that we are able to download from Cubify.com are not only a cool way to gt started with our new Cubes just by the fact that they are there for us. But, they are also excellent ways to learn about various aspects of 3D Printing in general and the Cube in particular.

Choosing which items to print first is easier when we know something about them. That's why I created the chart in the previous post that gives us the volume of each creations. The less volume a creation consumes the more filament we have left to print future Creations or our own objects. Budgeting filament, just like budgeting our money, is a good thing.

If you go back to our list of Creations and look at the volume order, you will see that you can print out the first 24 items and still have used less volume than the single last item. And, since some of those first 24 items are simply different sizes of the same thing, you can skip some and take a few down the list and still be under the volume of the train!

To help you in your selection, I have captured images of each item and, for the purposes of this blog will present them in four different groups... small, medium, large and Towers of Hanoi. The latter requires at least 7 Creations to complete the full game. So, we will deal with all those Creations as a if it were a single Creation in terms of volume.

HexBoltNut_Small.Creation

Actually, the lowest volume creation includes two items. There is a bolt and a nut that fits it.

HexBoltNut_Small

The volume for this creation is a mere 868.50cubic millimeters

This Creation is a great demonstration of the Cube's precision. And, it also demonstrates that we can group items in a single file for printing. This is probably a great choice for playing with the Resizing Tool.

BubbleBlowerShort_Small.Creation

At a volume of 2740.02 cubic millimeters, the small bubble blower is a fun way to get started with the Cube!

BubbleBlowerShort_Small

Notice how the object is oriented. If it were oriented horizontally or vertically it still would have fit. But, by orienting it diagonally, the fit is more comfortable. Orientation is important in 3D printing and the next item on the list shows why.

BubbleBlowerLong_Small.Creation

The LONG bubble blower isn't a whole lot greater in volume, at 3,857.44 cubic millimeters. But, it would NOT have fit on the print bed without orienting it diagonally. It is more than 140mm long.

BubbleBlowerLong_Small

And, this brings us to another interesting observation. When we look at the Model Information in the Cubify software application it says the X-Axis is 135.61mm and the Y-Axis is 135,61. Obviously, the bubble blower is not as wide as it is long. The reported measurements are of the print ENVELOPE rather than the item itself.

The size constraints on the cube define the print ENVELOPE and not any particular item size. If we can orient an otherwise oversize item so that it fits within that ENVELOPE then we can print an item that is longer or wider than 140mm. And, this is a perfect example of that capability.

Teacup_Small.Creation

The small teacup has a bigger sibling that we'll examine in the medium group. At just 5107.96 cubic millimeters it's a great candidate as a good first print choice. In fact, why not print a set!

Teacup_Smal

This is our first example that demonstrates the ability of the Cube to print thin walls. I have not tried this as yet. But, it seems to me that it is right on the border of needing support. Of course, I plan to try it without support first. I'm guessing that it will work and it's certainly worth a try.

BraceletClassic_10mm_D57_Small.Creation

This is a simple, smooth bracelet.

BraceletClassic_10mm_D57_Small

There are actually several variations of this bracelet having different diameters from 57mm to 70mm

BraceletClassic_10mm_D57_Small - 5675.91 cubic millimeters

BraceletClassic_10mm_D63_Small - 6279.73 cubic millimeters

BraceletClassic_10mm_ D70_Small - 6883.55 cubic millimeters

It may not be obvious; but, this is a good test of not only the precision (perfectly round) of the Cube; but, of the surface finish that it can produce.

RippleVase_Medium.Creation

You are probably going to be surprised to see the RippleVase in the small category.

RippleVase_Medium

It's fairly big, coming in at 114mm tall and 100mm wide. Yet, it only consumes 6087.78 cubic millimeters of filament. That's due to the thin walls. This is a great example of the complex geometry that the Cube can handle without supports.

BraceletBearing_10mm_D57_Small.Creation

The final items in the small group is another collection of bracelets.

BraceletBearing_10mm_D57_Small

Since I have not printed any of the bracelets yet, I have no idea how this group of bracelets differs from the first. Sounds like I need to get to work on that! In any case, this group includes:

BraceletBearing_10mm_D57_Small - 6295.86 cubic millimeters

BraceletBearing_10mm_D63_Small - 6868.58 cubic millimeters

BraceletBearing_10mm_D70_Small - 7598.63 cubic millimeters

This completes the list of Creations under 10,000 cubic millimeters.It includes 11 items for a total volume of 58,259.96 cubic millimeters. So, any or all are a good choice to test out your Cube while still leaving plenty of materials for your own designs.

How much is "plenty"? I don't know. But, I do know that I've printed well over 400,000 cubic millimeters in volume and still have not finished my first cartridge. I wish that I could tell you exactly how much I've used. But, I jumped right into printing and didn't keep track beyond a few huge objects. When I get in my order of cartridges, I plan to document my filament use a bit better than I have so far so that we can manage our resources to help us get the most out of our Cubes most efficiently. The one fly in the ointment is that the Cubify application doesn't include the volume of support materials. But, I hpe to minimize support use with well designed objects.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

This is a list of the Creations that are provided to Cube owners. The most important statistic in this list is the volume. All measurements are in millimeters with the volume being in cubic millimeters.

The smallest items, in terms of volume, are the HexBoltNut creation. It's actually two objects in a single file and is an excellent demonstration of the Cube's precision.

Among the largest creations is the Toy train. There are a lot more impressive creations that don't eat up quite so much material. The ShoeMacedonia_Large, for instance, is about one half the volume of the train.

We will be going through this list in volume order, starting with the smallest volume and ending with the Tower of Hanoi game set, which actually requires 7 creation files to complete for total volume of 81.981.18 cubic millimeters.

Creation

Volume

X-Max

Y-Max

Z-Max

BraceletBearing_10mm_D57_Small

6,295.86

104.54

104.54

9.04

BraceletBearing_10mm_D63_Small

6,868.58

107.48

107.48

9.03

BraceletBearing_10mm_D70_Small

7,598.63

110.99

110.99

9.04

BraceletClassic_10mm_
D70_Small

6,883.55

108.90

108.90

9.61

BraceletClassic_10mm_D57_Small

5,675.91

102.40

102.40

9.61

BraceletClassic_10mm_D63_Small

6,279.73

105.65

105.65

9.61

BraceletLinks_15
facet_Small

18,747.96

110.05

110.83

11.89

BraceletMacedonia_
D63_Medium

20,541.96

115.01

114.72

39.90

BraceletMacedonia_D57_Medium

18,779.13

111.69

111.41

39.90

BraceletMacedonia_D70_Medium

22,410.74

118.19

117.91

39.92

BubbleBlowerLong_Small

3,853.44

135.61

135.61

3.00

BubbleBlowerShort_Small

2,740.02

114.51

114.51

3.00

Doorknob_Small

10,334.72

84.99

84.99

25.00

HexBoltNut_Small

868.50

66.68

79.01

6.64

IPhoneDock_Medium

77,593.27

107.95

108.39

40.53

NanoClassicBracelet_Medium

29,548.50

108.97

105.03

41.77

NanoMacedoniaBracelet_Medium

17,993.35

109.10

105.64

41.62

NapkinHolderMacedonia_Med

10,427.24

100.06

99.84

39.92

Planter_Large

134,979.30

137.62

133.76

125.96

PrincessPencilStar_Small

29,034.22

121.04

118.61

17.71

RippleVase_Medium

6,087.78

114.66

110.52

95.82

Rook_Medium

16,285.88

87.02

87.02

57.49

ShoeClassic_Large

185,500.50

119.26

121.27

88.27

ShoeMacedonia_Large

74,941.24

119.13

121.81

88.02

Teacup_Medium

40,863.35

116.14

109.99

76.31

Teacup_Small

5,107.96

92.99

89.92

38.15

TowerOfHanoi_Base_Small

58,096.56

130.81

90.17

55.88

TowerOfHanoi_Disk1_Small

6,046.24

89.41

89.41

5.59

TowerOfHanoi_Disk2_Small

5,128.84

88.01

88.01

5.59

TowerOfHanoi_Disk3_Small

4,279.84

86.81

86.81

5.59

TowerOfHanoi_Disk4_Small

3,499.26

85.22

85.22

5.59

TowerOfHanoi_Disk5_Small

2,787.10

83.82

83.82

5.59

TowerOfHanoi_Disk6_Small

2,143.34

82.42

82.42

5.59

ToySlingshot_Medium

40,615.85

119.97

86.44

126.76

ToyTrain_Medium

182,748.40

120.49

99.31

81.07

WaxCandleStickHolder_Medium

57,566.11

97.36

97.36

62.64

WaxCupCandleHolder_Medium

46,283.52

106.58

106.58

43.76

Of course, the most useful way to organize the above list is in volume order.

Blogs of Note

Personalizing Help

As my granddaughters grew up, they would search the racks of cups, etc. at places like Cracker Barrel, gift shops and toy stores to see if they could find an item with their name on it. They always came up empty. They could never find a personalized item.

3D printing has solved that problem in our family.

But, what if you don't have a 3D printer. software or time in which to create a personalized 3D item? In that case, I would like to help. Just send me a request and, if possible, I'll try to design the personalized item for you.

Any resulting design will be made available for you and others to download from the Cubify.Com store. Designs will be priced at the lowest current cost permitted on Cubify.com.